ALL TOO OFTEN ON EBAY I SEE PEOPLE SELLING ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN TAKEN EITHER IN THE WRONG LIGHT, OUT OF FOCUS, OR JUST PLAIN INCORRECTLY ALTOGETHER.

IN MY SCANT ONE-YEAR EXPERIENCE WITH SELLING ONLINE MERCHANDISE, MAINLY COINS, I HAVE LEARNED SOME VALUABLE SHORTCUTS, TIPS, AND TRICKS ON USING A CHEAP DIGITAL CAMERA AND GETTING GREAT RESULTS.

I PURCHASED A POLAROID iZONE 300 DIGITAL CAMERA IN 2004 THAT WAS USED AND DID NOT COME WITH A MEMORY CARD. I REMEMBER PAYING JUST $25 FOR THIS CAMERA, AND I THOUGHT AT THE TIME I WAS IN HIGH COTTON {I HAVE A DIGITAL CAMERA NOW!!!}. NOT UNTIL 2006 DID I USE IT FOR TAKING PICTURES OF ITEMS THAT I WOULD BE SELLING ONLINE.

I HAD TAKEN THE CAMERA WITH ME SEVERAL PLACES, AND DID NOT REALLY GET GOOD RESULTS WITH IT AT FIRST. I HAVE TAKEN IT CAVING, WHEN I LIVED IN TENNESSEE SEVERAL YEARS AGO AND USED THE FLASH TO TRY TO CAPTURE PICTURES OF SOME STALACTITE FORMATIONS THAT WERE VERY BREATHTAKING. NEEDLESS TO SAY, THE LENS IS TOO SMALL TO GET A GOOD PICTURE OF HARDLY ANYTHING IN THE COMPLETE DARKNESS OF A CAVE, AND I WAS SOON CRESTFALLEN BY THE CAMERA'S SHORTCOMINGS.

SO IT GOT PIGEONHOLED FOR A WHILE UNTIL I GOT INTERESTED IN SELLING ONLINE ITEMS, MAINLY COINS.

WHILE TRYING TO TAKE PICTURES OF COINS, I COULD NEVER GET A CLEAR PICTURE UNLESS I WAS ABOUT A FOOT AWAY BUT THIS REVEALED NO DETAIL WHATSOEVER ABOUT THE COIN. IT SEEMED THE CAMERA WAS DOOMED TO USELESSNESS UNTIL I GOT AN IDEA.

USING A MAGNIFYING GLASS I AGAIN ATTEMPTED TO TAKE A CLEAR CLOSE-UP OF A COIN. IT WORKED!!!!

I FOUND I COULD USE THE LIMITED 3 : 1 ZOOM OPTION ON THE CAMERA TO GET GREAT DETAIL ON A VARIETY OF COINS RANGING FROM THE TINY THREE-CENT PIECES TO A MORGAN DOLLAR.

THEN CAME THE PROPER LIGHTING. ANY SEASONED COIN COLLECTOR WILL TELL YOU THAT INCANDESCENT LIGHTING IS BEST BECAUSE IT IS A POINT SOURCE OF LIGHT AS OPPOSED TO A FLUORESCENT FIXTURE WHICH IS AN AREA SOURCE. FLUORESCENT LIGHTING CAN HIDE NICKS AND SCRATCHES ON A COIN, AND MANY COIN SHOPS KNOW THIS.

IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE IN A COIN SHOP IN THE FUTURE, LOOK FOR REGULAR LIGHT BULBS OF THE INCANDESCENT TYPE (OR MAYBE FLUORESCENT OVERHEAD LIGHTING WITH SECONDARY, CLOSER ADJUSTABLE INCANDESCENT FIXTURES).

RECENTLY I HAVE STUMBLED ACROSS SOME DOUBLED-DIE CENTS IN MY COLLECTION. SOME OF THE DOUBLING IS DIFFICULT TO SEE WITH THE NAKED EYE, AND IN ORDER TO HAVE A BUYER SEE THE DOUBLING, I NEED MORE MAGNIFICATION.

ADDING A LOUPE TO THE MAGNIFYING GLASS GAVE ME THE EXTRA ZOOM I NEEDED TO GET CLOSE ENOUGH TO SEE RPMs AND DOUBLING.

               THIS IS ABOUT 30% OF MY ZOOM CAPABILITY

I NEVER THOUGHT IT POSSIBLE TO ACHIEVE GOOD RESULTS WITH SUCH LITTLE MONEY INVESTED.

ALTOGETHER I SPENT LESS THAN $50 TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THE DATE ON A LINCOLN CENT FILL UP THE ENTIRE SCREEN AND BE IN PERFECT FOCUS!!!!

THIS CAMERA ALSO CAME WITH AN EDITOR PROGRAM THAT I USE TO CROP PICTURES. I HAVE JUST LEARNED THE CROPPING TECHNIQUE WHICH BASICALLY MAKES THE BEST USE OF YOUR PICTURE AND ALSO AS A SIDE BENEFIT ZOOMS IN A LITTLE CLOSER AS WELL. WITH CROPPING, YOU ELIMINATE ANY PERIPHERY OF YOUR PICTURE AND USE ONLY WHAT YOU WANT. IN MY CASE, IT IS EXTREMELY SIMPLE TO CROP A PICTURE OF A COIN, AND IT TAKES ABOUT 4 SECONDS PER PICTURE.

I HOPE THIS HAS BEEN A USEFUL GUIDE FOR SOMEONE - IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO GET STARTED SELLING YOU DO NOT NEED TO RUSH OUT AND SPEND $200 ON AN AVERAGE DIGITAL CAMERA. CHANCES ARE THE CHEAP MODEL WILL WORK BETTER THAN MINE!!!

TO SEE MY RESULTS, JUST GO TO MY CURRENT AUCTIONS - ALL PICTURES HAVE BEEN MADE WITH MY SUPER-CHEAP SETUP!!!

ENJOY!!!

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